Conventionally, a developer such as fine powder toner is usable with an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a copying machine. In such an image forming apparatus, the developer is consumed as the image is formed, and therefore, the developer is supplied from the developer supplying device. In the developer supplying device, a developer supply container (hereinafter, simply referred to as a supply container) containing the developer is mounted on a developer receiving apparatus provided in the image forming apparatus to supply the developer. There, a structure has been proposed (Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 2013-015826) in which the developer receiving portion of the developer receiving device is moved (displaced) toward the discharge opening of the supply container in accordance with the mounting operation of the supply container dismountably provided in the developer receiving apparatus.
In the device described in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application Publication No. 2013-015826, the developer receiving portion is guided by a guide (engaging portion) provided in the supply container and moves so as to approach the supply container with the mounting operation of the supply container. When the mounting of the supply container is completed, the discharge opening of the supply container and the receiving opening of the developer receiving portion are in a connected state (a state in which both the openings are in communication with each other). In addition, the developer receiving portion is guided by the guide and moves so as to be separated from the supply container in accordance with the release operation of the supply container. In this manner, the discharge opening and the receiving opening are separated from each other (the two openings are not in communication).
In the apparatus described in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application Publication No. 2013-015826, in order to move the developer receiving portion to the supply container side in accordance with the mounting operation of the supply container, the guide is inclined so as to be higher toward the supply container from the front side toward the upstream side in the mounting direction of the supply container. This is to move an engaged portion (portion to be engaged) of the developer receiving portion in contact with the guide by using the force applied to the supply container at the time of mounting and dismounting. However, in this case, especially when mounting supply container, a force for displacing the developer receiving portion (specifically, an engaged portion) in the mounting direction and a force for displacing the developer receiving portion in the vertical direction are applied at the same time, and therefore mounting force is required.